Established in 2006, American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) provides critical perspectives and analysis of indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books, the school curriculum, popular culture, and society. Scroll down for links to book reviews, Native media, and more.

Thursday, June 06, 2013

Update from Curtis Acosta and the shut-down of TUSD's Mexican American Studies program

Editor's note: Late last week, Curtis Acosta wrote to me, asking if I'd share his open letter regarding his work. I'm glad to do it. If you are completely new to what happened in Tucson last year, one place to start is with the chronological set of posts I wrote during that time. See the menu bar across the top of the blog? See the "Mexican American Studies" tab? Click on it. Read through the history and then come back to read Curtis's letter. In his email, he titled the letter "Next Steps."

_________________________

May 30, 2013

Dear supporters, colleagues, and
friends,

Last Thursday my
career at Tucson High Magnet School came to an end. It was never supposed to be
this way. I always believed that I would leave with a fully gray head of hair
and thicker lens than those currently in my black frames. I imagined that there
would be a legacy of former students who would take my place and would take our
levels of success even further. Instead, I took down each poster and photo from
my room with a deep sense of loss and the words of Langston Hughes’ “A Dream
Deferred” in my mind. It was as if I was participating in self-ethnic
cleansing. (A wonderful side note to this story is that Bob Diaz, a librarian
at the University of Arizona has decided to create an archive of our classroom
so that it can live on forever. Have I mentioned lately how much I love
librarians?)

However, the reality
is that the room and the power of the space were lost far before the pictures
came off the walls. This moment was fated as soon as Tucson Unified School
District eliminated our highly successful Mexican American Studies program,
banning my colleagues and I from our own curriculum and pedagogy, as well as
boxing up books. Yet, I would like to thank my students, compañer@s, parents,
and the local and national voices that supported us through these difficult
years in building up my resiliency and resolve to stand up and never to submit
to acts of education malpractice.

Thus, I am happy to
inform you all that a brighter day lies ahead. Yesterday, I held a local press
conference announcing that through a partnership with Prescott College, Mexican
American Studies lives on through Chican@ Literature, Art & Social Studies
(CLASS) where high school youth will be receive free college credit. This is a
class that was born from the injustices performed upon our students in Tucson
and my indignation toward political opportunists using our students,
literature, and history to create a wedge issue founded in hate for their own
selfish means.

CLASS had a successful
first year as a collection of 10 amazing youth sacrificed their Sunday
afternoons throughout the entire year to rigorously study, analyze, and read
the world together. It was a thirst of justice and knowledge that fueled them
and they will soon be sharing their voice with the world at Free Minds, Free People
in Chicago – a national education conference centered upon education for
liberation and youth empowerment. However, our youth need financial help to
attend, and although I am using the stipend from Prescott College to pay for
part of the trip, it is still not enough. We would be humbled by any and all
support and you can follow us now on Facebook and donate through the following link: Xican@ Institute for Teaching and Organizing.

Along with CLASS
expanding and continuing next fall, I am happy to announce that I have founded
the Acosta Latino Learning Partnership, an educational consulting firm that
will continue the work that we started in Tucson throughout the nation. It is
my vision to help teachers, schools, and educational organizations empower
youth to find their own voice and academic identity through culturally
responsive and engaging academic experiences. You can find more information on
the Acosta Latino Learning Partnership through my website (http://latinolearning.com)
Facebook page.

I look forward to this
next chapter of my career as I continue to be an advocate for public schools.
After all, we know public education works. We’ve seen it successful time and
again, and as teachers we are honored to be the guides and mentors of beautiful
young people who will forge a better nation and world. By following the
inspirational leadership of the powerful teachers, students, and parents in
Seattle and Chicago, this devious trajectory to destroy public education will
end. One day soon we will stop the obsession
of measuring our children and teachers with corporate driven instruments aimed
at eliminating all of the creative joy from public education. And this
is why our work here in Tucson must continue, we must never comply to unjust
laws and policies that dehumanize and degrade our children in any way.

Let all the reformers
be warned that we are aware of why you want to discredit our profession and the
heights that we reach with our students every year. We are more than budding
market place or real estate to redevelop, and we will not rest until our
children are treated with more love and respect than the banks and corporations
of this country. Trust teachers to work with their students, parents, and
communities as true partners, support us with resources that our children
deserve, and then watch the magic of learning take root and grow.

I want to thank you
all for your support through the years and truly believe that great victories
lie ahead for communities of color, our students and public school throughout
our nation.

1 comment:

Important statement, thanks for posting. History will record this - at least Xican@ history - as a tragedy... important message, that the struggle continues... but those Klan members in the AZ legislator are due theirs in this lifetime.

First Peoples listed my site as one of the Top Five Native Blogs and Podcast to follow. School Library Journal's Elizabeth Burns featured my site as her Blog of the Day on July 2, 2007, and in 2007, the ALA's Association for Library Service to Children invited me to write a blog post for their site.

American Indian? Or, Native American? There is no agreement among Native peoples. Both are used. It is best to be specific. Example: Instead of "Debbie Reese, a Native American," say "Debbie Reese, a Nambe Pueblo Indian woman."